Tottenham assistant head coach Cristian Stellini admits that he felt partly responsible for Antonio Conte feeling pain after returning to work too early after his operation.
The Spurs boss needed emergency surgery to have his gallbladder removed this month but with his doctors advising him to rest for 15 days, Conte was back at Tottenham and on the training pitches of Hotspur Way only eight days after the operation and returned to the dugout for the defeats at Leicester City and AC Milan.
Conte did not look his usual self at either game and admitted in Milan that he had been wearing a post-op stomach support device and when the team flew home after the 1-0 Champions League debut, the 53-year-old remained in Italy for a check-up with his doctor. It was decided there that he needed more time to recover, with Spurs not putting a timeframe on his return despite Conte's desire to come back.
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"Antonio feels the same every moment, every day. It is not because it’s Chelsea next [after Sunday's game against West Ham] but he wants to come back Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday but he has taken an important decision with the club," said his assistant Stellini. "When Antonio is 100 per cent he will come back and not one day before. We made a mistake before and we don’t want to repeat this.
"We have to hope this time arrives as soon as possible. It could be before Chelsea or after Chelsea. We have to accept that and Antonio needs to accept that. People around Antonio like our doctor, the doctor that did the surgery, his wife and his family, are there to force him.
"After the Milan game, I felt sad because maybe I didn’t push enough to make this decision before. I felt responsible because Antonio’s pain continued under stress. I don’t want to feel like this again. I push him to come back when he’s 100 per cent."
Stellini explained that Conte will be as involved as he can be before and potentially during the game against the Hammers this weekend with a line of communication set to be kept open.
"It’s not like last time when we had Antonio in bed to rest immediately after the surgery, it’s a different time, Antonio is involved 100%. Probably we have some communication with him better than the last time. I don’t know what type of communication, we didn’t speak about this. I think his energy is totally different," said Stellini.
"My phone is on 24 hours a day. He can call me when he wants. Also during the night. I will answer and talk with him about football and about our team in every moment. When we have an idea, we have a chat together. Always about football."
Before his medical problems, Conte had admitted that he loses sleep over Tottenham and trying to turn the club's fortunes around and Stellini was asked whether he was now facing similar stress as the man in the spotlight.
"Yeah, it’s a big responsibility and I feel this but it’s not the first day I am here, it’s not the first day that I stay with the players and take responsibility," he said.
"When I see the players and the team during the training, I feel we are capable of to win every game and to progress in the Champions League, to win the next game, to win the game after in the FA Cup.
"I think we can do it. We have a good squad and without Antonio they show to us they take much more responsibility in this way. I sleep well. I have the team and I follow the team every day and this gives to me the feeling to be confident."
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